April « 2009 « Lucky Thirteen and Counting

Archive for April, 2009

30 Apr

Things I learned last night

Posted by Sandi in family

Brandon and I took Hunter and Hadley to see Death Cab for Cutie last night, ON A SCHOOL NIGHT EVEN! We got home at midnight, but it was well worth the exhaustion.

The concert was in San Diego at UCSD campus. We were the only the ones there over thirty and under fifteen. I felt old. My butt is still sore from sitting on the bleachers. How do kids sit on bleachers for so long without developing a bleacher butt? I think the idea of fattening up in college is not at all related to the stress of exams and eating out. I think they fatten up so they can sit in a gym and watch concerts and games without embarrassing themselves by repeatedly standing up and massaging their own ass. I would have been a lot more comfortable if I would have gotten those butt implants I was contemplating last year. DAMN!

I sat there in the dark, feeling the music rise up off the floor and into my body, and I went back. The sounds and smells of concerts can do that to you. It was just yesterday that I was one of the kids on the row in front me, Seventeen, not a care in the world, wondering whose bed I was going to crash into, and looking at the couple behind me, with the two kids at a concert, and wishing I was that mom.

I realize this isn’t the dream of every teenager, but it was my dream and I am living it. How lucky am I? I may not have the body of the kid in front of me, I may not have the opportunities and freedoms she does. But I am lucky enough to know, and admit, that I am right where I want to be, old, content, and mothering at a concert. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

Hunter is a huge fan of this band. Looking over at him, and catching his face in the glow of the spotlight, seeing him singing every word and clapping to the beat and enjoying every screaming note, made my sore butt seem a little more bearable.

Hadley gets to pick the next concert. I think we are going to seeing Flight of the Conchords if I can get tickets this late. They are both begging me. It helps that mom is a fan too. I may be able to muster one more late night of excruciating butt pain. Don’t get any ideas Brandon!

23 Comments »

29 Apr

TESTING the NEW DIGGS

Posted by Sandi in blogging

So what do you all think? Cute huh?

I am overwhelmed with the bells and whistles this Wordpress site is full of. Fun! Fun!

We have a few more tweeks to get through and I am still working on getting “the cast” completed. It’s coming. It will feel like home soon enough.

40 Comments »

28 Apr

Hold the balloons, the confetti, and the housewarming gifts….

Posted by Sandi in blogging

I am not going to flip out at the people that told me, on Thursday, my new site was ready to go. I won’t come completely unglued that, after she mentioned we could go live anytime on Thursday, she took friday off and didn’t get back to me until yesterday, Saying again ”Lets go live, we are ready.” I shot back an email. ”I’m ready. Let’s do it.” and then I waited and waited.

I checked my site at least 5900 times yesterday. NOTHING. I sent emails and got no response. I had proofed, I had paid, and I had approved everything. I got NOTHING!

By 7:00 pm last night I was in a full blown panic attack. My anxiety went through the roof and by 9:00 pm I was unable to take a full breath of air and was contemplating calling the hospital for an inhaler or something. Brandon wanted to take me out for a quick drink to chill me out. I just wanted to breathe. I didn’t want alcohol. I was pissed that I paid an insane amount of money for this new design and after they had my every dime they disappeared.

This morning I received an email with an apology that they lost power and wouldn’t have my site up until tomorrow morning. I’m trying to be calm, and I’m sorry you are still looking at my same one wall. Now, lets all cross our fingers and pray hard that tomorrow this fancy web design company in New York buys a damn generator so they can deliver what was promised!

Am I the only one that thinks this all sounds a little fishy? The proof is in the pudding they say. If you still see this site tomorrow, you can all rest assured that shit is about to hit the fan. I’ve been looking for a reason to go to Manhattan.

25 Comments »

27 Apr

This is it blogger

Posted by Sandi in blogging

This is my last day here.

My new Wordpress design is completed and ready to go live.

Change and I don’t always see eye to eye. But I have taken this nice and slow, and called most of the shots in this process. It will take some getting used to, so hang in there with me while I adjust to the new place.

I hear you all asking why I’m switching.

Even though I have only been blogging for 9 months, and I have only had readers for six months, I have experienced, quickly, the shitty side of blogging. Not all of my readers like me. In fact, I have some that despise me, and they want to make sure I know it. Even with the comment moderation turned on, I still have to read the hate they spew at me. This switch to Wordpress, and my own URL, is going to allow me the ability to block IP addresses. I am a one strike mom. You piss me off, you lose a privilege. That’s the way it goes. I don’t need your shit anymore. With fourteen kids, I get enough of it here. I don’t need it on my blog. You have been warned.

To all of my nice readers and lovely comment leavers, ignore the above message. It’s intended for the idiots that want to push my buttons, and read me, because they don’t have a nice life of their own.

I am a little bit nervous, and have a tiny bit of anxiety. I hope I don’t hate it at Wordpress. There are definitely more bells and whistles and buttons to push. I hope I can learn the tricks.

If you don’t see me for a few days then Brandon lost you again. This is always Brandon’s fault. I don’t know how to take you from point A to B. He has to point things here and there and redirect feeds and stuff I don’t have a clue about. So, I will give you his phone number to call if I drop out of your reader or inbox. Just kidding. I will be freaking out at him if I lose you lovely people.

I am hoping we lose a few trolls in the process.

See you later in my new digs.

luckythirteenandcounting.com

34 Comments »

26 Apr

Old habits are hard to break

Posted by Sandi in having babies

I have been trying to get Ellie to move into her big girl crib for three months. She, however, had other plans. She wanted nothing to do with her brand new, beautiful crib, filled with gorgeous bedding, that I had to have from pottery barn. NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! When I would start heading towards her “new” room, she would cry. If I laid her down in her crib, she would cry herself hysterical until I placed her back in her port-a crib in the nursery in my room, with boy bedding I might add. There she would fall fast asleep. This is the game we’ve been playing for the past few months.

This is how I found her often.

I am happy to share that, this past week, she finally realized the jungle bedding in her port-a crib wasn’t quite as cute as the gorgeous stuff in her big, roomy crib in her new room, and she made the switch!

This isn’t the best picture, but you can see, she fits much better.

In an effort to not fall into old habits of putting her to sleep in her old crib, I knew I had to take the nursery in my room down.

As happy as I was about moving her out of the nest, I was heartbroken about putting all the baby stuff away. Is this it? Are we done? Brandon and I have wandered around here all weekend asking the same question in a hundred different ways. Is Ellie the last? Are we done? Is this it?

As we carry the swing to the garage-

“Should we update our homestudy?”

As we move the rocker out of our bedroom-

“Should we make an appointment with the IVF clinic?”

As I slide the changing table down the hall to the laundry room-

“Should we wait a year and then decide?”

So, my happy weekend of spring-cleaning turned into a deep ongoing discussion about our future and when, and if, we want to add more to this family, and if so, how are they coming?

At the writing of this post, all we know is we aren’t done. There is more coming, but we don’t have a clue how or when. So for now….. I am going to enjoy having wild sex in my room without waking a baby. We’ll see how long that lasts.

21 Comments »

25 Apr

HAND-ME-DOWNS

Posted by Sandi in Uncategorized

**Update**

I need to find a family to take Girls size 3T

I need a family for Girls size 10 slim

I need a family for Boys size twelve pants.

I need a family to take 3-6 months baby boy summer outfits.

I will ship these. Please let me know if you are in need of any of these, ASAP. These clothes are taking over my house!!

24 Comments »

25 Apr

Week in Pictures

Posted by Sandi in family

I am beginning to think every one of the weeks are looking exactly the same. We sit outside, shoot hoops, and ride bikes and ripsticks. We eat, we play, we take pictures. I am determined to add some new activities to this families photo library.

Until then, more of the same stuff.

She is getting so close to crawling. She gets up and rocks and rocks, then lunges and face-plants.

Ty wanted the whole world to see him pop a wheelie.

This is Ty’s version of that.

We sit outside to supervise the Saturday car-washers. Nothing is more fun than watching someone else wash your car.

Ellie is happy to see them too.

She is waving at them.

I’m too tired to get up and think about lunch, so

Hadley brings the veggies and the bagels and we

do the impromptu picnic

Since the kids were so good last weekend

I took them to the beach down the street

for a change of scenery.

I don’t love this beach.

It’s Capo beach and it’s nothing but ROCKS!

The kids don’t seem to care.

I am going to try and forget the fact that, while Dalin sat right next to me building this amazing rock tower, he shit his pants. He blows my mind, at least once a month, with this stunt.

I am currently shopping butt plugs for our outings.

…and finally on Thursday, I sat for hours at the salon while Kate got a new hair-do.

She looks fabulous!

11 Comments »

24 Apr

FRIDAY FLASHBACK

Posted by Sandi in family

This photo was taken four years ago. I am in shock and awe, to see first hand, with my own eyes, that these two particular kids have NEVER been able to play together without raising HELL!

NEVER-

If something bad is going down in the house, or this neighborhood, I don’t have to talk to many faces to figure out who was behind it.

Jasmine and Dalin-

The broken branches on the tree- Check

The writing/coloring on the wall- Check

The broken outside faucet and flooded yard-Check

The missing drill bit- Check

The flooded toilet- Check

The broken Nintendo – Check

Broken radio- Check

Flooded basement- Check

Broken trampoline-Check

Makeup on the floor, stained carpet- Check

Broken garage door- Check

Toys outside on the grass, left overnight to be watered- Check

Dug up the flower garden in the front yard and piles of dirt in the street- Check

That is just a few things, from their ever growing list of shit, that they’ve managed to do, on my time, in the past year.

Dalin and Jazzi are notorious for causing trouble. They play so good together, they are best friends. but no matter what they are playing so nicely and quietly, they always end up doing damage. ALWAYS!

I had to chuckle at this picture, that even way back when, (Jasmine is two in that picture) they were raising cain.

19 Comments »

23 Apr

BIG NEWS

Posted by Sandi in Uncategorized

Test results are in- NEGATIVE!

We are celebrating and crying tears of relief and joy.

I have no idea why the results got here so fast, but that in and of itself was a blessing.

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers.

Now, I will go have a much needed melt-down!

47 Comments »

22 Apr

I’m a disgrace

Posted by Sandi in Uncategorized

I finagled an order out of my regular pediatricians for Parker’s lab work. I was finally ready to get it over with. Seeing the infectious disease Doctor in Orange is not the easiest thing to do. His office is tiny and busy and we wait forever. When it’s finally our turn, he comes in and he says things like, “How was the traffic today? What do you think about them Angels? Are you still living in Ladera?” And then, he sends us out the door with papers in hand to sit and wait in a, just as busy, lab that also requires a forever wait. And that’s how it goes, No exam, no nothing, because how can you see anything? It’s all about the blood work.

So I had a late night brainstorm, the other night, to hit up “The Boys” as I affectionately call our pediatricians, because they are like my children’s age, and it worked. They were happy to help. They also read my blog and know what goes on in this house. I fully expect them to call me one day and diagnose a virus from one of the pictures I post. Guys, if you are reading this, feel free.

Anyway, the order was called in and Parker and I took what was supposed to be a fast trip to the lab right down the street. I got through the paperwork with only a slight lump in my throat. I requested the VERY BEST poker they had, because in the past, Parker has been a hard stick and the fishing around with the needle is NOT acceptable to this mom. It doesn’t help that I was once a phlebotomist. We make the worst patients.

Parker was a trooper. Angela, as her nametag read, was perfect. She got right in, first poke, Parker didn’t even cry. He was a little pissed off that I had taken my keys away. But seemed unfazed by the needle in his arm.

Halfway through the second tube, he stopped flowing. She pulled the needle back a bit and took off the tourniquet. That’s about all I remember. I started sweating, and spinning, and I remember telling her I needed to put my head between my legs. I guess somebody took Parker and I ended up on the floor, in a heap.

The voices were far away. I was willing myself to open my eyes. I have no idea why I couldn’t open my eyes, but when I finally did, I saw my shoes high above my head. Somebody was holding my legs up in the air, and someone was putting a pillow under my head, and a third person was putting cold, wet, paper towels on my chest and telling me to take slow deep breaths.

Other patients were walking/stepping over me to take their place at the drawing station. As things came into focus, the nausea did too. I’m sure I went from white to green in a split second. I was mortified. Eventually they stopped calling people back for blood draws, until they got the mother on the floor taken care of.

While I was recovering, they poked Parker again, and got the rest of the specimen. The color returned to my face and they let me sit up, but wouldn’t let me face him. I was WAY TOO embarrassed to tell them I was a phlebotomist as well. What a disgrace to the profession. I am not sure what happened in that lab? They finally let me leave after a good twenty minutes of sitting. I have no idea how long I was on the floor. They had me go out a special exit so I didn’t have to look all the other people in the eyes. They knew how embarrassed I was.

Maybe that’s why I was dreading this last draw so much. I knew I was going to face plant on the cold, hard, white tile.

On to the next hurdle…. Results are two weeks away.

36 Comments »